National Geographic Trips and Adventures lists for 2014

I'm a little bit late with this update, but I'm very excited... I finally took some time to check out National Geographic's best trips and adventures for 2014.

Best Trips 2014

The list this year is as impressive as ever, including locations around the world: Rwanda, Australia, United States, Canada - who knew there was a Nahanni National Park??? - Italy, Argentina, India, Iraq, Russia, France, Liechtenstein, and so on. If ever you have some time to spend on a vacation, and you want to do something just a little bit different, this is the place to start planning, as far as I'm concerned.

Ultimate Adventure Bucket List 2014

The adventure list is broken into two categories, Classic Trips and New Frontiers, and as ever, is just a little bit more... "adventure-y" than I am.

National Geographic asked 20 of the world's top adventurers to share their dazzling new frontiers, and their all-time classic trips. The result is a list that includes mountain climbing, surfing, kayaking, hiking, paddle boarding and mountain biking. Which sounds not so bad, until you add the details:

Mountain Bike the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam. 

..."roughly 800 miles"... "it traces the ridgelines of the Annamite Mountains, passes through tiny villages, and skirts verdant terraced agricultural lands"...

Seriously. WAAAY out of my comfort zone.

There is one National Geographic Adventure that I am planning on doing: The Machu Picchu Inn to Inn Hike. 10 days, staying in what looks like absolutely the best accommodations available... I have found the trip I'm taking as the highlight of my "Mid-Life Crisis/Year-long Celebration" the year I turn 40.

It's a very strange feeling to be really excited about something on one hand and completely dreading it on the other!

My plan is to distract myself with training for the next three years... kickboxing, here I come!!!